Printing-press tripping appliance



Oct'.30;192 3. I v 1,472,442

B. D. STEVENS I PRINTING PRESS TRIPPING APPLIANCE Filed Feb 26. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 am ma Get. 30 19 23.,

B. D. STEVENS PRINTING PRESS TRIPPING APPLIANCE Filed Feb. 26. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 30, 1923.

1,472,442 PATENT OFFICE.

BURT D. STEVENS, F EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MIEHLE PRINTING PRESS.

AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF previous to the delivery ILLINOIS.

PRINTING-PRESS TRIPPING APPLIANCE.

Application filed February 26, 1921. Serial No. 448,112.

To aZZ whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, BURT D, STEVENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Printing-Press Tripping Appliances, of which the following is a specification.

Heretofore, it has been customary to pro vide printing-presses with various types of cylinder tripping mechanisms all depending for their action upon whether or not the oncoming sheet has been properly advanced for the printing impression.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention one or more sheet-feeder suctionshoes pick up the top sheets of a supply pile one after the other and convey them to and deliver or drOp them upon a registration feed board operated by suitable means to register the sheet with the usual front and side guides.

Such registration or transfer feed board is apertured or perforated and constantly subjected to a slight suction to hold the sheet thereto to prevent dislodgment, but not so firmly, however, that the sheet after having reached its registered position with the two sets of guides may not shift relatively to the board rather than follow its further movement.

The uniform uninterrupted suction on such feed board is preferably comparatively slight in amount and consequently does not lend itself as a means for controlling the cylinder tripping operation.

Accordingly in the new style of printingpress the tripping mechanism is governed by the air-pressure condition .in the suction feeder-shoes which, of course, is dependent in turn on whether or not they have picked up a sheet from the pile and areproperly transferring it to the registration-board.

The press tends to trip the cylinder just of the sheetby such suction-shoes to the registration-board.

If the shoes sheet. the cylinder will not be tripped, whereas, on the other hand, if the shoes for some reason or other have failed to raise a sheet from the pile and are consequently not conveying or feeding it, tripping of the cylinder will occur so that the printing operation will be omitted, which otherwise would take place had the sheet been present.

are properly transporting a In order that those skilled in this art may understand the manner in which the abovestated purpose is effected in a preferred embodiment of the invention, as well as other 211111921116; objects of the latter, a desirable corporation of the invention in physical form has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings forminga part of this specifica tion, and throughout the several views of which like reference characters refer to the same parts.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of press;

Figure 2 is a vertical section illustrating, the interior mechanism;

Figure3 is a longitudinal section through the impression-cylinder; and

Figure 4 is a partial plan and partial de'-- tailed section of a small portion of the ap=- pliance.

Referring to these drawings, it will be observed that t'he printing-press includes a main-frame ll equipped with a suitably.-

the printin ggu ded, vertical, reciprocatory bed 12, the

printing-form of which coacts in the ordinary manner with an impression-cylinder 13, these parts being operated by appropriate mechanism in the usual way.

The machine comprises also a board or table 14 for the stack or pile of'blank sheets 15 to be printed, an inclined, registration, feed-board 16. adjacent to the impressioncylinder, and to which the sheets are trans ferred individually in succession from the pile by one or more suction-shoesl'T, and delivery board or platform 18 to which the printed sheets are conveyedin sequence from the cylinder by delivery-grippers 19 one; pair of oscillatory rock-arms 21 mounted on a shaft 22 and actuated in proper timed relation to the operation of the other parts of the mechanism in any approved manner, as for instance by a crank-arm 23 on a driveshaft 2e connected by a link 25 to an arm 26 on shaft 22.

The apertured or perforated suction-shoes 17 may be of any convenient or desirable de' sign receiving their reduced atmospheric pressure or suction throughtheir hollow sup ports on the upper ends of one or more hollow bent or curved rock-arms 2T mounted on a hollow rock-shaft 28 connected by a pipe or tube 29 of the usual flexible form'to a suction-fan, not shown.

By means of these several hollow mem bers connected together in series, the suction created by the fan is exerted through the suction-shoes enabling them to pick up the top sheets of the pile in succession and transport or convey them to and deliver them on ,to the registration feed-board from which tion-shoes, it is necessary to relieve or terrni- 7 patent pipe 29 to the outer ;they pass to the cylinder for printing at the proper moment. To deliver the sheets to or dropthem on the feed-board from the sucnate the suction and this is accomplished by automatically opening a valve 31 connecting air, whereby when the valve is opened atmospheric pressure prevails in the suction shoes causing the sheet formerly adhered thereto by the suction to drop onthe feed-board.

' Such registration feed-board, forming no part of the present invention and which is fully disclosed and claimed in a copendlng application, is automatically moved to register the sheet thereon with. suitable front and side guides or gauges prelimlnary to being gripped to the cylinder, and is aper-- tured and sub ected to a constant slight sue 7 tion to maintain the sheet in properlposition 1 or coaxial driving gear l gether.

' mounted thereon awithout danger of unintentional displacement, thus permitting the sliding or shiftingof the sheet on the board during the further continuedtravel of the latter after the sheet has been brought into contact with the guides or gauges. v

- The tripping of the cylinder to prevent its operation when not supplied with a sheet to be printed is controlled through or by means of the suction-shoes, whereby. 1f a sheet has not been properly carried forward from the supply pile to the reg istration feed board, the cylinder will be "rippedand omit its printing revolution.

Such tripping or cylinder controlling mechanism comprises a lock or clutch rod 32 inside of the cylinder slidingly mounted" lengthwise in 7 adapted to be,

the end walls thereof and slid back and forth to 'un clutch and clutch'the cylinder to'its aligned 33- apertured at 34 for the accommodation of one end portion of the rod projecting from the end ofthe cylinder when the parts are clutched toslidably in a bearing 38in the cylinder end member 39. the latter having a hub 40 revoluble .in

' a bearing in the gear, the latter in turn hav-' regularly operating gear, 7 V

. pIBSSlOIl-Cjjllfldfil .to and unclutches jit'from into a hole or.

forth by 3' at the axis of the cylinder and gear ing a hub or journal rotatable in'albearing r 7 4:1 of thefr'a'me. At'its protruding end shat't v or rod 37 is equipped with an'iannularly grooved sleeve t2 between abutments or" 1 collars l3 and 44 on the 'shaft. -x

The element 37 is adapted to be slid lengthwise by a yoke arm 45 having pins or rollers in the groove of the collar, the lower end of such arm being rockingly mounted on a sta tionary shaft 46 supported in suitabl'ebrackets147 and d8 fastened to the main frame; is equipped The lower portion of arm 45 with a sector d9, the teeth of' whic'h "are n mesh with those of another sector 51 fastened to a shaft 52 rockingly mounted in a bearing of bracket as, the outstanding end of such shaft having an arm 53 fastened thereto with its end connected by a link 5a to one arm of at 56.

A bell-crank 57 fulcrumed 58 adapted a bell-crank 55 j fulcrumed V to be rocked or oscillated by a revoluble 1 cam 59 on shaft 24 in the'usual way and'has one arm pivoted at 61 tov a recessed or supplied on its lower edge with asocketorcav1ty notchedlock or catch member'62 adapted to receive a pin 6% outstanding from V the depending arm of bell-cranlr55 and thus normally operatively connect together the two bell-cranks, whereby thecam rocks the two simultaneously.

t should be observedthat the left-hand wall of the recess or cavity -63 is deeper than its right-hand wall, the latter terminating at the beginnlng of aflat, horizontal face 65,

member 62 being yieldingly pulled down by a coil contractile spring 66 connected thereto v and to the element57. r p The pingequipped arm of bell-crank 55 supplied with a rod 167 slidingly extended through a bearing 68 on the frame, the rod T being surrounded by'a coil spring 69, one

end bearing against the bell-crank andfthe} other end against the bearing, whereby when freed fromthe lock 62tlie spring tends to. rock bell-crank 55in a direction to unclutch the impression-cylinder 'from"its;operating ear,the actual uncoupling of these two ele-'f'j V ments occurring when the rod 32, during'thef rotation of the impression-cylinder, comes into register or alignment with recess 35. 7

So long asthe several parts are connected together I V V and intermittently clutches the im-' the gear by which'actiionthe cylinder remains stationary during a portion of the" .travel of the rec procatory bed, the cylinder being what may be characterized; as a stop cylinder. r Y 7 lftheimpression-cylinder is to be tripped,

the means aboutztobedescribed temporarily V V pre'vent'the locking of the cylinder to its: f' gear so normally be'rotating it is now stationary as shown in Figure Lth'e cam 59 that du'ring a periodwhen it would u:

shaft 28 by a flexible and no printing operation is effected because the cylinder, being cut away on one side, does not contact with the traveling form.

Accordingly, the. lock member or coupling element 62 is connected to one arm of a suit ably-journalled bell-crank 71 by a rod link 72 pivoted to the bell-crank and extended through a pivot pin 73 rockingly mounted on member 62, such rod being equipped on its protruding portion with a collar 74 secured thereto near its end and a coil spring 75 encircling therod and interposed between the collar and the pivot pin, such spring being somewhat shorter than the distance between these elements so that normally there is practically novstrain thereon. The other arm of bell-crank 71 is connected by an upright link 76 to a pedal or treadle 77 fastened to a rock-shaft 78 journalled in the frame.

Inside of the machine frame, shaft 78 is supplied with an upstanding arm 79 loosely secured thereto by means of a key 81 on the shaft fitting in an arcuate slot 82 in the hub of the arm, the latter near its upper end being provided with a roller 88 coat-ting with a cam 84- on a drive-shaft 85, arm 79 being yieldingly pulled toward the cam by a coil contractile spring 86.

This shaft 85 also operates the sheet feeder rock-arms 27 through a crank-arm and link connection 87, one of the arms 27 or its shaft 28 having a depending ear or lug 88 carrying a rod 89 extended through a hole in the arm 91 carrying the valve 31, the rod 89 being fitted'with collar 92 adapted at the proper moment to strike the arm 91 and open the: valve.

At its upper endarm 79 has a shoulder 93 adapted to bear against the end of a locklever 94 fulcrumed at 95 in a suitably-supported bracket 96 and supplied with a spring 97 tending to lift or raise the end thereof which coacts with arm 79.

The oppositeend of the lock-lever is connected by a member 98 to the center of a rubber diaphragm 99 secured around its border or margin to a shell or casing 101, the interior of which above the diaphragm is connected to the chamber in the hollow hose or pipe 102, the lower face of the diaphragm being exposed to the outer air, whereby the upper side of the diaphragm is subject to the same atmospheric pressureor suction conditions as exist in the sheet-transporting shoes 17, whereas the lower or bottom face of thediaphragm is acted upon by the usual or normal atmospheric pressure of approximately fifteen pounds. per square inch.

cluding; the pile of blank sheets; and their support, the registration feed-board, and the The entire sheet-feeding mechanism, in-

suction feeder are mounted on a frame 103" hinged at 104 to a substantial bracket 105 carried by the main-frame 11, and by disconnecting the link 87 from its associated crank-arm on shaft 85, which can be readily accomplished since that end ofthe link is in book form and takes over a pinon the crank-arm, the frame 103 and all its parts may be swung out of the way in a horizontal plane away from the impression-cylinder, the form, the bed, and other parts of the printing-press.

Owing to the flexible suction-connection described, the tripping mechanism, the action of which is of the suction-feeder as more fully describedhereinafter, remains operative in all positions of the swinging frame, but, of course, the operation of the sheet-feeder is interrupted in the open position of the frame by reason of the temporary breaking of the link connection 87 with the shaft 85.

In case it is desired to operate the cylinder and bed, as for instance for hand feed ing, when the mechanical feeder is thus swung around into inoperative position, the tripping mechanism, so far as control there of by the suction sheet-feeder is concerned, may be made inactive by permitting-a paper sheet to remain adhered to the suction-shoes, thus preserving the presence of'a reduced atmospheric pressure throughout the system.

The operation of the appliance occurs practically as follows.

()wing to the rocking of arms 27 to the left as the parts are viewed in Figure 1, the suction sheet-feeder shoes 17 move over and down on to the sheet supply pile, and, 'by reason of the reduced pneumatic pressure therein, pick up the topmost sheet from the stock or supply stack or pile, and, during the swinging of the arms to the right, transport or convey the sheet, which adheres to them because of the existing suction, over the transfer or registration feed-board.

As soon as such sheet clings to and covers the holes of the suction-shoes, the air;pressures on the two sides of the diaphragm become unbalanced, andsuch member flexes upwardly causinglever 94 to move to a position to lock arm 79.

At the proper moment the cam 59 causes bell-crank 57 to turn to the right and the cylinder becomes stationary by disconnecting it from its gear and looking itin stop position to the frame.

At the correct instant ing the dropping of the sheet on to the registration feed-board and the balancing of the air pressures on the two sides of the diaphragm, thus ending its upward bending orarching, resulting in lever 94 unlocking arm 79, but cam 84 prevents the arm from moving sufficiently to perform the cylinder tripping function.

l/Vhen, thereafter, cam 59 rocks boll-crank 57 to the left, thecylinder will be clutched valve 31" opens causcontrolled by the condition a 84' restores arm 7 9 to its retracted position,

Y gripped to two members 62 and pedal, when operation will to its gear and the printing the sheetoccurin the normal Way with the cylinder.

7 Assummgthat the operator desires to trip the cylinder by foot, he presses down on pedal- 77, thus rocking bell-crank Tlto'the;

left and shifting r0d'72 in the same direction.

With such parts held in this position or relatio'nby' the foot of the Worlnnan, ele- V ments 62and are-not operatively disconnected from one" another by the upward turning of member 6.2 until bell-crank 57 is at or nearitsllimit of travel to the right, because, o ving to'the shortness of spring and the consequent absence of initial strain on the same, it is not sufliciently compressed to lift the catch member v62 againstthe action'of spring 66 unless the pedal is depressed at the time element 62 is at or near its limit of movement tothe right.

"Such coaction of the cooperating parts as- 1 suresthatithe'cylinder will certainly be un clutched from its driving gear and locked to the frame at the proper moment, because the pedal cannot prevent this action.

Assuming that the parts: (32 and 55 are thus unlocked through the action of the bell crank 57 rocks to the left to again clutch the cylinder to its gear no such result occurs, because the surface 65 of the lock element 62 in the lowerposition which it assumed upon delivery of the preceding sheet from the feeder shoes to the registration feed-board. Therefore, lock-lever 945 is not ina posi tion: to engage and hold arm 79 and accordingly' as soon as cam 84 will permit it,arni

V 79 sivings in answer tothe action of spring 86 turning shaft I, 78 in the same direction that it Would be rocked by depressing' the pedal byreason of the engagement of one end Wall of slot 82 Withthe key 81 of the shafh i This results substantially the same Way as when the pedal is pressed down with the foot.

After the time when the suction-feeder shoes would have normally'raised asheet scribed.

from the supply pile in the usual Way, cam

' automatically locked by slides idly to the left on the pin 6%, 'the parts G l, 55, 54, 53,.etc.,i

in tripping the cylinder in- "a sheet, andmeans operative 1 and, if the feeder shoes have a sheet prop erly adhered thereto, the arm Willbecome mal position as shown in Figure 2 and there will he no tripping-of the cylinder,but if the shoeshave not properly lifted a sheet, lock-leverfi Will not be ina position to lock arm .79 and the latter as soon as the cam will permit Will trip the cylinder.

Such tripping will continue, the arm 79 swinging back and forth with the cam, un til a sheet is correctly picked up by the suction shoes whereuponupwardflexure of the diaphragm. causes lever M to lock the arm thus PIGVQDtiBgtTiPPlIig of the cylinder.

The invent on herein presented is not necessarily con-fined to the be understood that such mechanism may be modified in a more or less radicaldegree without departure from the heart and es-V sence of the inventionfand Without the sacrifice of any ofri'ts substantial benefits and advantages. 1 or l'claim:

an impressi(in-cylinder,

lever 94' in the norexact structure illus- V V trated and described in detail and 1t 1S: to

V K i r 1 o 1. In a printing-press, the combination-of means to rotate said cylinder, 1' sheet-transporting feeder associated with, said Cylinder, and means con trolled by the condition of the sheet-tra1is porting part of the feeder to trip the ,cylin-- der when the feeder fails to properly advance a sheet, substantially described.

2. In a printing-press, the combination-of an inipression-cylinder, means to rotate said cylinder, a suction sheet-feeder associated with said cylinder, and means controlled by the suction of the feeder to trip the cylinder when the feeder fails to properly advance a sheet, substantially as described 7 3. Ina printing-press, the combination of an impressioncylinder, a: gear to'rotate said cylinder, means to operate said gear, means to clutch said cylinder to and unclntch it from said gear, a suction sheet-feeder asso-- ciated With said cylinder, means to operate 1 said feeder, and means controlled by the failure of being normally" clutched to said gear Wl'lGII'lJllB feeder Vance a sheet, substantially said cylinder, a sheet-transporting feeder associated W'i th' i said cylinder, means Icon-V fails to properly ad-r Q as described. 4. In a printing-o-press the combination of an impression-cylinder,"means tojrotate 12Q;

trolled'by the condition of the sheetiransporting part of the feeder to trip'said cyl-Y inder if thefeeder failsto properly advance '125 r after the feeder has delivered a sheet to prevent trip V ping of the cylinder, substantially as de:

-5. In a printingpress, the" combination of an impression-cylinder, means to rotate said cylinder, a suction sheet-feeder associated with said cylinder, means controlled by the air-pressure condition of the feeder to trip said cylinder if the feeder fails to properly advance a sheet, means to release the sheet from the feeder by terminating its suction, and means operative after the normal tripping point to prevent tripping of the cylinder by the release of the suction on the feeder to discharge its sheet, substantiallv as described.

6. In a printing-press, the combination of a mainframe, an impression-cylinder thereon, means to rotate said cylinder, means on said main-frame to trip said cylinder, a supplemental frame hinged to said mainframe, a sheet-feeder on said supplemental frame associated with said cylinder, and means operative in all positions of said supplemental-frame controlled by the condition of the feeder governing the action of said cylinder tripping means, whereby the cylinder will be tripped if the feeder fails to properly advance the sheet, substantially as described.

7. In a printing-press, the combination of a main-frame, an impression-cylinder thereon, means to rotate said cylinder, means on said main-frame to trip said cylinder, a supplemental-frame hinged to said main-frame, a suction sheet-feeder on said supplemental frame associated with said cylinder, and means operative in all positions of said supplementahframe and controlled by the air pressure condition in the feeder governing the action of said cylinder-tripping means, whereby when the feeder fails to properly advance a sheet the cylinder will be tripped, substantially as described.

8. In a printing-press, the combination of a rotary impression-cylinder, means to rotate said cylinder, a clutch between said cylinder and rotating means, means to operate said clutch to intermittently rotate the cylinder, and means to break the operative connection between said operating means and the clutch only when the cylinder is unclutched from its rotating means, substantially as described.

9. In a printing-press, the combination of a rotary impression-cylinder, means to rot-ate said cylinder, a clutch between said cylinder and rotating means, means to operate said clutch to intermittently rotate the cylinder, and manual and automatic means each adapted to break the operative connection bet-ween said operating means and the clutch only when the cylinder is unclutched from its rotating means, substantially as described.

10. In a printing-press, the combination of a rotary impression-cylinder, means to rotate said cylinder, a clutch between said cylinder and said rotating means, means to operate said clutch to effect the intermittent rotation of the cylinder, a suction sheetfeeder associated with said cylinder, and means controlled by the air pressure conditions in said feeder arranged to break the operative connection between said operating means and the clutch only when the cylinder is unclutched from its rotating means, substantially as described.

BURT D. STEVENS, 

